Regret or Revival
by CandleHeadButt
Summary: She left, that is true but how would the others change? Two choices, two stories of Vanellope seeing the reaction of everyone else now that she is gone. One of regret, one of revival. Either way, she learns the importance of home and perhaps on what she could have done.
1. An Introduction

An introduction

Vanellope has gone to the online world and chosen to stay!

But-?

What exactly does this entail for the arcade that she left behind?

Litwak was a home that Ralph had fought to return her to after so many years of being a prisoner in her own game yet after a short stay, Vanellope has decided to leave it all, leaving everything she claimed as her own behind without so much as a farewell.

What about everyone else?

What were their thoughts?

What would happen should things not turn out the way our little racer wanted?

What would happen should Vanellope return?

Two paths.

Regret.

Revival.

On either path, Vanellope discovers that there is more to gaming than her own code and the possibilities of what her suddenly departure could mean.

What path will you choose?


	2. Regret

Regret

Things had not been going Vanellope's way.

This was not how she had planned things to go. This was not how she WANTED things to go. Everything was supposed to be perfect when she inserted her code in Slaughter Race, everything was supposed to be fun, everything was supposed to be exciting but as the days went on, she was finding herself coming face to face with challenges she had not expected.

And some she did not want to face.

Slaughter Race was supposed to be the solution to her boredom and for the first few days, it had looked that way. It was supposed to be 'more grown up' than Sugar Rush but it didn't take long for Vanellope to learn what being 'grown up' meant.

She thought she could corner the races with her glitch or at the very least, she and Shank could work together to capitalize on their popularity but the moment gamers caught on, Vanellope found herself backed into the corner.

Gamers now, she had found out, were fast learners. They may have been caught off guard by her glitch at first but they quickly found ways to counter it through their own means. She wasn't the only one who could 'insert her own code' into a game.

What did they call them?

Modders?

Yes, that was it.

Soon, the 'Modders' had come in and they had found ways to stop her. They had modded their own cars and players to counter her, to lock her in state, to even cause their rounds to crash with her and with each round lost….

Vanellope found she was having less and less fun.

And it wasn't as if their actions were the only thing that hurt her. She could read their comments, over and over as they talked about the 'annoying new player' put in their game and see them cheer each time they beat her. Vanellope may have been able to brush off their jeers at first, after all she would always mention she was 'used to it', but it was coming on more and more, harder and harder, to a point where she could no longer ignore it. To a point where she could no longer block it.

There was no question about it.

She had bitten off more than she could chew.

She would talk to Shank, talk to Yesss, to the Princesses, they would all tell her the same thing but after a while it no longer meant nothing. She had lavished in their doting before but as the actions and words of the gamers became louder and louder, the former 'President' came to a realization;

It was empty.

Everyone may have doted on her, everyone may have told her she was perfect for her imperfection but that did not change the scores, it did not change the gameplay nor did it change the fact that Vanellope had not faced a wave of failure this much since….

Sugar Rush.

She thought back to when she had ruled the game, using her glitch to dominate over the others. Suddenly, her complaints of the game being boredom had become regret in hindsight. She had been given a new challenge in Slaughter Race, a new home, but it had quickly become a nightmare, one of which she wish to free herself from.

Suddenly she was hit by memories of when she was locked in her own game, how long she had fought to find her place, to prove herself to the others that she was indeed a racer, when her glitch was indeed a hindrance.

And then she thought of Ralph.

What HE had done to help her, what HE had nearly lost to save her. She thought of what HE had done to make her happy for so many years, the trouble he had put himself through to make her smile.

When she called him toxic.

When THEY called him toxic.

Vanellope had been called so many things over her few months in Slaughter Race, things that Ralph would have smashed a person for and he HAD….back when she was in Litwak's.

Slaughter Race suddenly felt cold and unfriendly, lonely and depressing. She was now starting to miss the sweet sunrises of Sugar Rush but also the tones of her friends back in Litwak's, how the gamers were always happy to see her when she appeared on the character selection screen.

Now whenever players saw her, they were ready to annihilate her.

They were ready to thrash her.

And they were so gleeful when they did it.

They loved seeing Vanellope humiliated.

They loved beating her.

They loved shoving her back.

It was just like those horrible days when Turbo had control, when she was being bullied, when she was just a glitch.

But she couldn't blame Turbo.

She couldn't blame the racers.

She could only blame herself.

THIS was her choice.

But she could make others! She could make other choices to fix all of this and the best thing to do-?

Was to go back.

She told her friends that it was just a break, that she needed to 'visit her friends to see how well they were getting on without her' and with that Vanellope rushed to the portal to make her way back to Litwak's. Her heart was beating like a drum, unable to hold back a smile on her face as she arrived and then-!

"Hi."

Vanellope stepped out of the portal, Ralph the lone one there to meet her.

It didn't matter; she was just so happy to see him that she glitched right into his arms and hugged him.

How are you?

How are YOU?

Fine.

Good.

The girl stopped, wondering to herself why Ralph looked so grey, so depressed. She had always talked to him, told him 'We can be friends, but just not everyday' but she had expected him to be a bit more excited, a bit more joyful to see her return but he looked worn, exhausted.

Had Fix-it-Felix Jr. been giving him the run around again?

Of course they had. That was always it.

Vanellope instantly had a plan, figuring it was time to prank the Nicelanders as she had always done when she lived back in the arcade. She loved it, seeing them run about and chitter about. Felix and Calhoun had told her to leave them alone, had warned her that they had done nothing to her so she had no right to mess with them but it was too tempting and besides, she was President. Who was to say she couldn't mess with the Nicelanders?

She made the plans in the back of her head, one Nicelander in particular her prime target but as she arrived to the game-

Peace.

It was filled with peace.

Vanellope tucked herself behind Ralph and was surprised to observe the Nicelanders greeting the big man with such cheerfulness and familiarity and Ralph did the same back to them.

Was Vanellope looking at things right?

She remembered the days when she and Ralph would always cause havock with the Nicelanders but she had never seen them so happy, never seen them so welcoming to Ralph.

What was going on?

And more than that, they didn't seem to notice the girl behind the big man, thought it wasn't as if she tried to avoid their eyes to begin with. Ralph made it up to the apartments, Felix and Calhoun resting inside. They gave their hellos to Vanellope as well, the girl holding back her thoughts that no one seemed to be CELEBRATING her return but perhaps she should be happy that the was given the hugs and warm pats at all.

"It's been a while." Felix said with a smile "We've missed you."

Vanellope tried to play herself up, crossing her legs where she sat "Same here. It's gotten kinda BORIN' with hearin' everyone whinin' 'bout somethin'?"

Usually, the others would laugh but there was an awkward silence between the four. Felix and Ralph of course tried their best to smile thought Calhoun looked away, blearily sipping on her tea.

"S-So how are tha Slaughter Races goin'?" asked Felix, trying to clear the air.

Should Vanellope tell the truth?

And ADMIT that things had gone wrong?

Not the best idea; talk about something else, quick.

Vanellope talked about how she was 'winning' the races, that they were tougher and no the other racers would be 'wetting the bed' if they tried to compete with her. It was all talk but it felt so empty, the adults in the room looking as if they were forcing themselves to hang onto Vanellope's words but she quickly got the message, slowing down.

Maybe she should talk about something else?

Talk about how they had been doing?

"We're all fine." Felix said softly, smiling again "It has been rather quiet since ya left."

"I guess that means it's BORIN'." The girl smirked but Felix nodded his head.

"Not really." The repairman said "Since Litwak's been hooked up, tha others been doin' their own things."

Others?

Their own things?

"Whaddya talkin' about, Felix?"

Suddenly, the man's cheeks began to glow now that he was given room to talk about how things had changed in the old game.

"Maybe it was just tha spark that set it off but not too long since ya left, tha guys an' I have been doin' our own lil searches online!"

"Guys?" Vanellope asked again "Who are these guys?"

"Tha Nicelanders, of course!"

Vanellope nearly glitched out of her seat; the NICELANDERS had gone online and they had SURVIVED it? Vanellope and Ralph together had nearly DESTORYED IT but to hear that the NICELANDERS had traversed the online world, let alone return in one piece-?

"We were all kinda bummed out that TobiKomi went under…" the repairman said "But we learned about all these places that had saved tha um, what do ya call em? Ah, M-U-LATORS of our games! It was so cool seein' all these kids who still play our games! It really brought a buncha energy outta tha guys!"

"U-Uh, it did?" Vanellope asked fidgetly "Th-that sounds cool…"

"Yeah, it brought a real change in 'em, but ta be honest…." Felix began, putting a finger to his lip. Vanellope looked at him on edge, wondering what the man was going to say but he only gave her a smile.

"Ah, never mind. It's just been neat seein' other things online an' ya can really see it in tha guys! They really took a shine ta tha new stuff?"

Something burned in Vanellope's code upon hearing this; the NICELANDERS were having a better time adapting to change then SHE was.

This could not be possible.

The adults then began to discuss some things, Vanellope moving over to the window to see the small people moving about the lawn.

They DID look different; brighter, more energetic, friendlier. Much different than when she was around and then she took notice in some of the things they carried and wore.

Things she had seen during her time online.

Things she KNEW required coins and credit to get, things that even she was still struggling to get ahold of but there they were; the NICELANDERS, characters she had dubbed the most useless and weak of the whole of Litwak, with things that she had scrapped weeks and months just to get, showing it around Niceland as if it were NOTHING.

"Ralph, ya really need ta get some rest." Calhoun said, Vanellope looking over.

"Yeah, sorry." The big man yawned "Ya know how things have been."

The girl noticed the Sargent's eyes slide towards her quickly before returning to Ralph "You're turnin' into a bigger worrier than Felix, Red. I think this is proof that everythin' is fine, okay?"

Fine?

That gut feeling.

It was returning.

Everything WASN'T fine.

The girl scowled but inhaled, her face changing as she turned towards her friends.

"Ey, guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Be right back, I wanna check on somethin' first."

Ralph's eyes widened, bring more attention to the bags under his eyes "Need me ta go with ya?"

"We had this discussion before, Ralphie." The girl said with a smug tone "Just meet me at Burger Time in an hour. I gotta meet up with some other people."

"Yeaaaah, maybe we can tie ya down for an HOUR LONG NAP?" said Calhoun.

"Don't even try." Ralph pointed towards the woman, Calhoun then holding up a tranq-gun.

"One shot. Just ONE."

"This is why we said NO GUNS IN THE APARTMENT!"

Vanellope quickly made her way out of the apartment and down the stairs to the lawn, one more observing the Nicelanders as they strolled about. Just as she thought; they were in possession of some prizes from the online games she had gone to since 'moving house' but how in the arcade or the world wide web did THEY of all people get ahold of them?

She then noticed Mary talking to a large bad guy from East Niceland, the two engrossed in their conversation. Vanellope peered closer, trying to see what the small woman was holding.

A Prize Orb.

It was from one of the Gem Dungeon games. Vanellope had been around it before, she had tried her hand at it but even with her glitch she could not get very high. She saw the prize though, recognizing it from a level one-hundred gem sweep. There was no way anywhere that a Nicelander could have gotten it.

Vanellope narrowed her eyes, "Its bad enough they think they can go online like they own tha place but now they're just takin' PR-?!"

"Hello there, young lady."

Vanellope squeaked loudly and glitched around, seeing none other than the Mayor of the game himself standing nearby.

Gene.

Oh, this was going to be good.

After letting her heart settle, Vanellope smirked at the rotund man, putting her hands in her pockets; she knew how to deal with him.

"Well, Genie-Beanie. It's about time I ran into ya." The girl said in a teasing tone but the Nicelander stood stone-faced, unmoved "Hope ya an' tha others haven't been messin' with Ralph. I would just HATE ta hear that things have gone badly since I left."

"Why in tha arcade would YOU have to worry about anything?" Gene replied tartly, adjusting his tie "Ralph can take care of himself and things have gone about swimmingly here."

Vanellope was used to Gene getting frazzled whenever she used her 'classic' tone on him but for some reason she felt that there was something different about the little man. He appeared calmer, much more steady, and most of all not at all perturbed by her appearance before him.

"And how are things online?" the man asked, Vanellope taken slightly aback by his question.

"What?"

"I asked, are things going alright online for you?" the man said "Ralph would go on for days about your safety."

Of course he would; it was SO Ralph.

"E-ehhe, nice of ya ta ask, MAYOR." The racer laughed nervously, trying not to let the man get to her "Me? I'M BUILT for tha online-world. But if there's one that surprised me…."

"Yeeeees?"

"What's this I hear about YA an' tha other 'Landers goin' online?" Vanellope said, quickly trying to change the subject "Felix take ya on a field trip or somethin'?"

"I guess you could call it that…in the beginning."

In the beginning?

Now Vanellope could see the glow in the Mayor's face, his mustache curling as he smiled "Yes, we were all hesitant about this new 'connection' thing as you may call it but, heh, I guess we were all bound to get hooked sooner or later."

The racer kept her distance, crossing her arms against her chest.

"You were right, young lady." Vanellope hinting the sarcasm in Gene's voice "Things were getting a might BORING around here but the moment we saw all the other games online? Ah, we just could not help ourselves!"

"What, ya go shoppin' or something?"

"NO." Gene said, his voice going a tad deep "WE PLAYED."

"Played?"

"Oh yes." Gene said "Whenever we came along with Felix and Ralph, we couldn't help but scatter about to the other games floating around. Yes, some of them were out of our league but I guess if YOU can go about to any game you want, what is stopping us from doing the same?"

" _Because you're stupid Nicelanders?!"_ Vanellope thought to herself, disliking it more and more that Gene was obviously playing with her and enjoying it _"How can a stupid Nicelander even-!?"_

"We visited Slaughter House a few times."

Vanellope glitched again, her eyes returning to Gene.

"It is an interesting game. Not the most advanced out there considering some of the new titles that have come out since and we've been keeping an eye on."

How was GENE getting this information?

"But I can see why YOU would find it so amusing. It just has….YOU all over it."

By now Vanellope knew that the Mayor was messing with her but for what reason she just did not know why. Most of the time, especially in the past, Gene would always become so bitter whenever Vanellope appeared and why not? Using Ralph and Felix as her shields she had managed to turn Niceland upside down, making things outright chaos for Gene and the other Nicelanders, fitting revenge in her eyes.

But now things felt so different. Even if Gene was only TALKING to her the girl felt a shift between power. The way Gene was talking to her, the way he was giving off so much information she had never expected any Nicelander to have, it was if he had found a way to BLOCK her, to remind her that she was but a character in a game that belonged to HIM and he was no longer going to allow her to get away with toying with the citizens he was programed to lead.

What had changed in these few months?

The girl scowled, no longer amused by the small man.

"Okay, ya know what? Cut it, Gene?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Stop with tha stuffiness, Blue Bug!" the girl said angrily, marching up to Gene but he remained unmoved "What's all this talk 'bout ya an' tha Dumpylanders goin' online! I never saw ya!"

"That's because you were always too busy with Ralph." Gene said "But then again, you always disrespected us to begin with so it's not at all surprising that you'd never see us in plain sight."

Vanellope's cheeks burned RED with anger; the roly-poly would NEVER have the nerve to say this when Felix was around.

Again, there had been a CHANGE and Vanellope did not like it.

"You seem surprised, Miss Von Schweetz. It's almost as if you feel that you're the only one capable of venturing outside the arcade, or that you somehow have the lone right to play other games."

"At least I play." Vanellope shot back "I don't STEAL assets from other games like ya guys have?"

"Gracious me." Gene said, the sarcasm simply dripping from his voice "Stealing? Where would you get an awful idea like that?"

"Because what Nicelander could actual WIN prizes like that?!" Vanellope went on "I've seen those games! I know tha skill it takes ta win those prizes! No Nicelander could win them!"

"And why would you say that?"

"Because-!"

Why WOULD Vanellope say that?

She stopped, letting some of the anger slowly disappear from her but she was still irked by the way Gene was looking at her. He awaited her reply, leaning on the wall as she seemed to struggle.

"I know what you've thought." The man said "I know what you think about us, I've HEARD what you've said about us and honestly? I no longer give a damn."

Vanellope once again glitched, it being a rare thing for Gene to swear, mostly in front of her but he smiled once again, chuckling.

"May I say something, FORMER President?"

He was REALLY digging into it now.

"These past few months since you've left? It has been GLORIOUS."

Vanellope gulped hard, Gene giving her the same smirk she often gave others when she tried to toy with them.

"Of course, I felt sorry for Ralph given how ABRUPTLY you took off and how you EXPECTED him to just accept things without even telling him-"

"But he-!"

"But as the days went on, as the weeks came, I realized something."

"W-What was that sir?"

"The moment you were gone? Things became so much more peaceful around here, and even Felix noticed it as well."

Felix had noticed?

"I had wondered if my irritation had come from a single source and what do you know? It had. The moment you left, everyone here, everyone in the arcade seemed to have some sort of weight lifted off them! And when we went online? That weight was lifted off even more!"

Gene seemed to be enjoying himself, trilling his fingers together as they snapped in rhythm.

"I could bring up the MANY times you mocked us for not being 'cooool' like you and the others. How you stated that because we were just background characters we couldn't do anything? Do you KNOW how much your words brought down so many of us? How much more work Felix had to reassure some of us because you thought it was funny telling other people who much they didn't matter?"

It wasn't as if Vanellope could really deny that she HADN'T said those things?

And hadn't she planned on pranking the Nicelanders again because she felt she could get away with it?

"When we got online, we were nervous." Gene continued "Because you're mocking little words had engrained themselves in our code but when we just dropped everything, when we remembered that YOU were no longer part of the picture and we could have fun? Things just clicked."

"Clicked?"

"We went to other games." Gene continued "All for the sake of refreshing ourselves from the misery you put us through all for the sake of whatever childish revenge you thought you were doing for Ralph. And-! And things just changed!"

Vanellope was having trouble keeping herself from jumping the man; how dare he blame HER for what the Nicelanders were feeling. It wasn't as if-

As if….

She HAD planned on pranking them again, hadn't she?

"We all went about, wanting to test ourselves. To see what we could do and with so many new games, we found so many new outlets. Oh, of course Felix was worried. I mean, we are JUST Nicelanders, aren't we?"

If Nicelanders could make it online…

"And then the prizes started coming in! Taking in so many winnings, it's been so great and so exciting! I only wish Litwak would have connected us online even sooner!"

Vanellope couldn't let Gene win, finding his tone and smile all the more nauseating.

"S-So I guess Miss Mary didn't have to beg someone to give her those prizes."

"No, my dear. Unlike some of us around her, she actually WORKED to EARN her prizes and respect. It's not like she just WENT TURBO and expected people to praise her for just being around."

Bullseye.

Vanellope wanted to do some WRECKING herself and she knew what all that energy would be focused on but her target only yawned, looking at his pocket watch.

"Save it, young lady. Your childish actions BORE me now."

"Ya know, months ago ya weren't actin' so hoity-toity." The girl responded "What happened ta tha GOOD OL' GENE I'm used ta?"

"What you're 'used to' young lady is GONE." Gene said, Vanellope hearing the sharpness of his voice "I believed I HAD to allow myself and the others to bend over for you but after seeing how you simply ditched Ralph for the game of the day, after realizing how miserable you were making us just for your own entertainment? I've come to realize that I let myself be controlled by a rude, unruly and overall empty child."

THIS certainly was not the Gene Vanellope was used to and it was becoming all the more apparent that things online HAD changed him and not to her advantage. SOMETHING had indeed happened and perhaps it was visiting other games that had unlocked something within, that unlocked an inner part of him that Vanellope felt she had no push over, that she could not knock down.

She was seeing BIG GENE, and she did not like it.

"I know why you're by yourself." The man said, scowling "I know you're planning on causing some sort of ruckus. What other reason would you have to come down here by yourself? To give us a friendly greeting? HA!"

Gene's laughter was deep and made Vanellope''s skin crawl.

"You were aiming for her." Gene growled, his gaze cold "I know you were planning on doing something to Mary, to take advantage of her nature again. She was always an easy target because she knew better than to let her anger out on a child."

Suddenly Vanellope was feeling the terror of being near the little man, something she had not felt in a long time. He moved closer, his form feeling as if it were towering over her.

"I'm going to warn you." The man said, his voice coming out in a rumble "You touch her, you mess with her with one of your little pranks. You're not only going to have to deal with me."

"Y-yeah?"

"How do you think she made it up to level 100? That she passed all those dungeons. She made it on her OWN. And if you mess with her again, I won't hold her back, Miss Von Schweetz."

Suddenly, Niceland didn't feel so NICE anymore.

"We're not going to hold back anymore. Even before YOU, we were pushed around but not anymore. You're not the only one who GAINED things from the internet and I warn you, if you want things to remain peaceful here, if you want all those free pies and other 'goodies' you manage to con out of people, I'd advise you learn how to treat the rest of us with some _**RESPECT!"**_

"Gene?"

The two characters turned, looking over at Mary who had just appeared. She looked at Gene in confusion but then saw Vanellope, her chubby cheeks showing such warmth towards them as she smiled.

Vanellope knew of that smile but now she felt she could no longer trust it.

"How are you doing, Miss Von Schweetz?" Mary said, her voice so warm and friendly "Things are doing well in your new game?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" the girl quickly said, nodding "I-I was just-! Um…."

Tongue tied.

Vanellope now felt nervous around the Nicelanders, Vanellope remembering the bosses in the Gem-themed game.

And if MARY of all people beat them…

"I think Vanellope was just about to have a visit to her old stomping ground." Gene said, smiling as if nothing had happened, walking over to Mary and embracing her hand.

And that's when Vanellope saw it.

TWO RINGS.

Things HAD changed.

Gene gave Mary a loving kiss, planting the image deep in Vanellope's code "Maybe you should show Vanellope more of your winnings, honey-pie?"

"Oh goodness, no." Mary said her to her husband "I wouldn't want to bore her with such things."

"But deaaaar." Gene sang "We're all connected now!"

"Um, Mayor Gene?"

The two Nicelanders peered at the girl, Gene arching a brow.

 _Yeah, you better call me by name._

"Ah-hah, I DO gotta-! Hafta-! I need ta see tha others!" Vanellope lied, slowly backing away, her skin going back to Mary's observation.

"Are you sure you want to do that now? You look a little ti-?"

Before Mary could say anything more, Vanellope gave a good-bye wave and glitched her way towards the trolley of the game.

"WOW!" Vanellope breathed out, sweat beading on her brow "Tha heck did he get into?!"

The girl hated to confess to herself that she had been shaken by Gene's words, the little racer always finding herself on the other side of things but the way that he had spoken to her, the way that he confronted her…

He was no longer afraid.

He was no longer holding things back for her,

But most importantly….

What did he know about Ralph?

Had he been talking to the Wrecker? Maybe that's why the Nicelanders were so comfortable around the man now, the girl remembering how they had greeted him when he arrived back to the game and it was something that she had never witnessed before. Before, they always seemed so hesitant, as if their greetings were forced and that had been because SHE had been there. She HAD plowed her way through the game, making her marks known but since her absence it appeared that things were flowing more naturally and without her…

No.

No, there was no way.

Were the Nicelanders treating Ralph better because she wasn't there to bother them?

No, that couldn't be it!

It could only mean that SHE was the one holding Ralph back, her constant pestering of the characters mucking things up for HIM. But-! But they were the ones to-!

To what?

Given how even THEY had changed, Vanellope no longer knew.

She looked up as she walked down the halls of the station, suddenly realizing that no one seemed to notice her, that they weren't giving her the greetings she had been used to. Before, they were go out of their way to address her, to treat her with so much glamor and worship but now it felt as if it were gone.

Now she was being treated as if she were just another citizen of Litwak's.

But wasn't that what she had told others she wanted.

That she wanted to be a part of Litwak's.

But now she was expecting special treatment from them.

Her head began to hurt; she needed to go home and by home, she meant her OLD HOME.

SUGAR RUSH.

It didn't take long for her to arrive, her heart once again expecting things to be different from when she left her old home and once she got to the end of the rainbow slide, things HAD changed.

But just not in ways she expected.

Once more, when she arrived the candy NPCs continued on their way, a few of them giving her smiles but the welcome she had expected was not there. There were no characters cheering her name, no banners with her face and in fact, people were far too busy to even stand still, everything preparing for a new game and new activities.

And that's when she took a look at how the game had been decorated.

Taffyta Muttonfudge.

Vanellope's moth dropped, recognizing the banner of the strawberry racer dotted around the land, hanging from the fixtures and posts. Something churned in her stomach as she looked about them, remembering when her own symbol was strung around the game but since she had been gone-

Even the Candy Castle had been repainted, now a bright strawberry pink.

What was going on, Vanellope looking about and feeling more and more lost in her game. It was bad enough that Gene had not only scared the living pixels out of her but also prevented her from playing a prank but to arrive to Sugar Rush to see it transformed before her eyes really threw her for a loop. She made no time in rushing to the castle, finding the guards at the gate.

"Lemme in!"

"You need an appointment with the President." Said the first guard, Vanellope growling.

"I AM THA PRESIDENT!"

The two large bear claw guards looked at each other before peering down at the blush-faced girl, the one on the right scratching his head.

"Um, didn't you switch over from being President to Princess again?" he said "And then you left."

Vanellope once again felt caught, faced with her own actions; Yes, she HAD done those things, remembering that her role of 'President' was no longer standing given she had gone for 'green games'. Nonetheless, the girl was not about to let the bear claws stand between her and whoever was in the Castle and whoever now called themselves 'PRESIDENT'.

"Look guys, I just got back." The girl sighed, putting a hand to her forehead "I'm tired, confused….I just wanna know what's goin' on."

"We could have someone help you, Miss Von Schweetz…"

Suddenly Vanellope missed being called PRESIDENT.

At least then she could get into her own home.

The first bear claw hit the buzzer on the gate, speaking into the mic.

"Hello, we have a guest for President Muttonfudge."

PRESIDENT?

MUTTONFUDGE?

NOW Vanellope was definitely sick to her stomach.

There was silence on the other end, sounds of something on the other end.

"The President is busy."

Sour Bill?

"But she can come in." the mopey voice said, the two guards nodding to each other as they then opened the gates up, Vanellope now feeling so small as she looked up at the huge castle.

It now no longer felt like the home she had made her own for those years she had gotten her game back, the glistening pink a color she would never paint it.

But then again, she was no longer the person in charge of the game, WAS SHE?

Vanellope was lead into the castle by another candy helper, her eyes going wide upon seeing how EMACULATE the castle was. She had expected many things, PINK being one of them, but she had never seen the castle in such a state, even between both herself and Turbo ruling it. Everything had been changed and shifted to fit Taffyta's needs but much as she had experienced with Gene, there were many things she did not EXPECT to see.

"Did Taffyta really choose this?" the girl gulped.

"Oh, yes!" the candy NPC chirped as she smiled up at the former Sugar Rushian "When President Muttonfudge was elected, she had everything redecorated not only to be more welcoming to visitors but also to make things more efficient!"

What?

"PRESIDENT MUTTONFUDGE!"

Vanellope and the Candy NPC stopped, hearing a group of people rushing down the halls.

"Butterscotch production is up twenty-percent but there is still a shortage of pure butter milk for the northern sector!"

"Keep an eye on how the shipments are going. We know we have to crack down on those vandals who have been robbing the milk farmers!"

"President Muttonfudge! Playership has risen eighty percent!" called a reporter "The Litwak News wants to know what you did to create this massive upswing!"

"I just let everyone be themselves." Vanellope heard the familiar voice call, only catching a glimpse of a white-haired racer marching down the long halls.

Taffyta?

The crowd continued to talk, Vanellope knowing she had to get past them to see Taffyta and what better way to do so than to-

*GLITCH!*

Doing her signature move, Vanellope managed to get her way past the guards and reporters, already knowing the layout of the royal rooms well enough but it still amazed her how things had changed.

Or to put it better, how TAFFYTA had changed them.

She glitched past the doors just as they shut, Taffyta now alone, or what she thought was alone, in the Ovaltine Office.

An office which had once been hers.

She ducked behind a doorway, the silence deafening as Taffyta sat at the big desk and went about her work, Vanellope amazed by what she saw.

This wasn't the Taffyta she knew and was used to. She was still very pink, yes, but the dress? The hair? It had all changed. If anything, Taffyta looked…PRESIDENTIAL. VERY Presidential.

Once more Vanellope's heart was beating hard against her chest, not knowing what to do but she had to say something, she had to ask-

"Don't act like I can't see you."

CAUGHT.

Vanellope squeaked again, turning her head to see Taffyta looking directly at her, a pen held tight in her hands and a frown on her face.

"I turned them off."

"H-huh?"

"The doors." Taffyta said, going back to her work "They're usually glitch proof but when I overheard that you came back, I turned them off."

Vanellope's eyes widened; when she was in office, the doors were not glitch-proof. In fact, nothing save for the Fungeon was glitch proof since she had regained her control over the game.

But that had been a long time ago and from the looks of things, a lot had happened since she was gone.

"So are you just going to stand there?" Taffyta asked again "Or are you just going to hide there for a few more hours."

It was just as what had happened with Gene, Vanellope's brows furrowing; she wasn't going to let this happen again. With a bright glitch and a smirk, Vanellope appeared before Taffyta, the other girl giving her an unimpressed look.

"Why, Laffy-Taffy!" Vanellope sang "Looks like someone moved up a few spots in tha races since I was gone!"

The girl in pink said nothing, the coldness in the room felt.

"C'mon, don't leave me like this." Vanellope said "I already got this treatment from everyone else. I don't need it from you."

"Then what DO you need from me?" Taffyta said "As you can see, I'm busy. Bein' President isn't an easy job when you're actually DOING IT."

Vanellope felt her nose wrinkle, the tone Taffyta gave her telling of what she was feeling to see the vanilla racer back.

"Taffyta…."

"What?"

"How did ya get it?"

"Get what?"

"THIS?" Vanellope glared, looking directly in the President's eyes "How, outta everyone in this game, are YA President?"

The tone that Taffyta heard was sugar to the girl's ear, a playful grin forming on her face as she folded her hands together.

"Wow, Vanellope. If I didn't know any better, it sounds like ya don't have any faith in me getting this role the FAIR way."

"FAIR?!" Vanellope shouted "What does FAIR have anythin' ta do with it?!"

"Well, we all allowed ourselves to VOTE, that's for one thing." Taffyta said, reaching for a lollipop before putting it between her teeth "Somethin' important to do before you go declaring yourself PRESIDENT."

"That's not it!" Vanellope shouted.

"Okay, you want the HARD stuff then." Taffyta chirped, sitting up "Well, first we all split ourselves into three parties. Yeah, I know THREE but some of the guys wanted to go independent , we held all the primaries and stuff and-!"

Vanellope's head was starting to spin as she looked at Taffyta slacked jawed, the white-haired racer's eyes widening, almost to a frightening degree.

"Oh, what? You're looking as if you didn't EXPECT the rest of us BORING racers to know how a campaign runs. I guess that's all the knowledge that Vanellope has, right?"

The vanilla racer couldn't take the mocking anymore. It was bad enough that Gene had done so to her, scaring her to boot but now Taffyta was giving her the run around as well? What in the arcade had happened why she was gone?

Something OBVIOUSLY and she did not like it one bit.

"What did you expect us to do?" Taffyta said, crossing her arms "From the way you're acting, you seem to have wanted us to go into chaos without YOU to lead us. Is that it?"

"W-Wait, what? NO!"

"Then why are you acting so surprised that I'm sitting here?" Taffyta said "Granted, I wouldn't push it past you. You always thought you were some sort of 'breaker' of something, even if there were scores of people before you who had done more and better."

"Okay, cut the candy corn, MUTTONFLUB!" Vanellope shouted as she glitched atop the Presidential desk.

"Please get off. I don't need your feet on my desk."

"MY DESK!" Vanellope screeched "THIS IS MY DESK!"

"Not anymore." Taffyta said in a calm manner, you gave up EVERYTHING when you left Sugar Rush for Slaughter House."

"SLAUGHTER RACE!"

"Whatever." Taffyta rolled her eyes "And how's your placement doing there anyway? I sure hope Meat Shank is helping you climb back up from the bottom."

Wait.

SHE KNEW?

Vanellope twitched and glitched but she could not let Taffyta win, the way the girl was playing with her obvious. What was with this sudden shift in attitude in everyone in Litwak's? Things had never been like this when she had gotten her placement back but now-?

Now all that power she had was gone.

All the fun was gone.

Or at least, it was gone for HER.

"I find it funny, Von Schweetz…." Taffyta continued, Vanellope finally glitching onto the floor "As much as we were hammered into seeing you for more, I can't really recall a single day you did the same thing for any one of us."

Taffyta stood up, walking towards the former Sugar Rushian, her stance not unlike that of when she was one of Turbo's groupies but then mean-girl factor that Vanellope was used to was gone. There was something else replacing it, a confidence and power she had never felt from Taffyta before and much like Gene….

It scared her.

"You left us, Vanellope." Taffyta began, her voice in a growl "But even before that, you mocked us for not being 'special' like you, both you and Ralph nearly get our home unplugged because YOU found it not on your level and then you leave, all because you think you're too good for the game you made all of us BEND OVER BACKWARDS to remodel just for YOU."

"W-Where did you get that idea from?!" Vanellope stuttered, her throat beginning to tighten.

"Oh, stop playing like the innocent glitch!" Taffyta snapped "If there's one thing I learned when getting this role, it's how to spy liars a mile away. Turbo was one who managed to get in but you're playing from his same playbook, Von Schweetz!"

Vanellope was nearly floored, amazed that Taffyta was accusing her of being like the former usurper of the game.

"How-?! TAKE THAT BACK!" Vanellope glitched in front of Taffyta, the white-hair racer still unmoved and uncaring "HOW CAN YOU ACCUSE ME OF BEING LIKE TURBO! WHO WAS THE ONE WHO FOLLOWED HIM?!"

"Yes, I will not deny that I took into his charm, even with his block on my mind." The strawberry racer said, flipping her hair out of her face "But, ya know Von Schweetz? I learned something big from that."

"Y-Yeah?"

"I learned to recognize a user." Taffyta continued, her voice filled with a sort of confidence that Vanellope had never heard from her "And more than that, I learned how not to become one myself again."

Vanellope felt confused, once more losing whatever hold she had on former 'rivals' she had been expecting upon her return. It was now appearing that things had been horribly flipped, as if Taffyta were the one who had expected Vanellope to come 'visit' her and much like things had taken her aback in Fix-it-Felix Jr. she was feeling the same claustrophobia in what was once her old game.

The game she had once called boring.

"Ya wanna know how I got in?" Taffyta asked Vanellope again, not even waiting for the girl to respond "I became President by just being myself."

Vanellope once more felt her throat going dry, as if the words were refusing to come forth.

"I learned a lot from that little 'lesson' you gave us when you came back. I learned a lot when you kept using your glitch against us." Taffyta went on "What I learned was that I couldn't be you and that I didn't WANT to be you, Von Schweetz."

"W-What do you-?"

"There were times when I was jealous." The strawberry racer continued "When I thought that my skills didn't matter because I didn't have a glitch that everyone was celebrating but when you broke the game. That moment both you AND Ralph decided on your own to change the game without coming to us, because both of you didn't care about us-!"

"I did care!"

"No you didn't." Taffyta said, shaking her head "You NEVER cared about us, Vanellope. If you did, the first thing you would have asked when everything reset was how WE felt that Turbo had rewritten our memories but you never asked us how we felt, even though you expected us to see you as this big special President, someone better than Turbo. You never asked us ONCE about how we felt. All you saw us as were cutouts. You never saw us as FRIENDS yet you expects us to worship the very ground you walked on. JUST. LIKE. TURBO."

"I am NOT like TURBO!" Vanellope protested again "An'-! An' at least I'm not some cry baby snot face!"

Taffyta shook her head "Oh dear. This is why you were not cut out for President, Vanellope. This is why nothing got done. Because you're just so CHILDISH. Because you're just not MATURE."

A wicked grin curled upon Taffyta's lips as she shoot the girl a glance.

"Just like you're not mature for Slaughter Race, huh?"

Again, how did Taffyta know?

How did ANYONE know?

"I'm betting you think everyone here is too stupid to go online, right?" Taffyta said, sitting back in her chair "Yeah, I know you are. What other reason would you act as if we haven't seen your scores? As if we haven't been informed on what other players are doing, Von Schweetz?"

The white-haired racer signed off on another paper, putting it onto the large pile.

"We all went online without you." She continued "All of us. And what we found really showed us what we were missing as well and what we brought back? Well, you can see."

Vanellope peered out the window, seeing that in her absence Sugar Rush had actually GROWN. There were new shops, not locations, everything that Vanellope had wanted was already there but what shook her to her code was that she had no hand in it, that she could take no credit in it.

As she looked about at the candy NPCs and the other racers, she realized that Sugar Rush had been improved thanks to THEM.

"Swizz learned how to mod. Or, he learned how to IMPROVE his skills."

"Swizz could mod?"

"He always could. He's been the brains of the games but then again, YOU would have known that if ya actually paid attention to him and not went about sniffing your own farts."

Lay it on thick, why don't ya?

"He fixed that 'bug' in the volcano." Taffyta continued "We can actually race it and we cleaned up your little 'area'. The place looks much better. We even learned how to make new tracks that DON'T cause the game to crash, ones we all agreed on together in making."

Taffyta wasn't really letting it on hard, reminding Vanellope had none of what happened would have been possible had she and Ralph not gone about trying to reshape the game on their own.

Had they not told the racers about it first.

"Granted, we don't FIGHT the players." Taffyta said "We actually allow them to have fun and what do ya know? We haven't had an accident since!"

Taffyta huffed, rolling her eyes.

"It's as I said back then. You're an accident waiting to happen. But at least we figured out how to clean it up."

"Okay, I get it." Vanellope growled, putting her hands on the Presidential desk "So maybe….maybe I said a few things without thinking but can ya blame me?"

Taffyta did not respond; of course she could blame her.

"An' all I wanted ta do was have fun!"

"We all did, Vanellope. We all did." Nodding Taffyta "But WE weren't allowed to have fun. ONLY YOU."

Vanellope backed away slightly, feeling the anger seething off of the other girl.

"Sugar Rush was only allowed to run on VANELLOPE'S RULES and then you have the nerve to tell us we're boring? You never allowed us to be ourselves, to try new things on our own because YOU always had to butt your stupid face in and mock it! You want to know why Sugar Rush was BORING?! BECAUSE WE HAD TO FOLLOW YOUR RULES AND YOU GOT SICK OF YOURSELF!"

Vanellope could only wonder how many people were listening on on the argument but like her confrontation with the Nicelander, she was scared. She was so used to the other buckling under her, as not to bring wrath upon their past actions towards her but they no longer seemed scared, they were no longer afraid of what should happen if they spoke to Vanellope in this way.

They were no longer scared.

But SHE was.

"Going online was amazing, Vanellope." Taffyta went on "It IS such a wonderful place but ya know somethin'? Even with all it has, we knew we couldn't just give up no Sugar Rush. Yes, it's old but it's our game, our home and we love it. It doesn't matter if other people find it boring. This is our heaven on Earth and that was one of the promises I made when I became President."

"S-so you didn't force anyone to vote for ya?" Vanellope said, attempting to joke.

"No, Vanellope. Unlike you, I understood the importance of actually letting people VOTE." The other girl growled "And after what you did, after how you left us, I knew I had to be a better person, that I had to be a better President so I knew I had to change."

Taffyta stood before Vanellope, her shadow hovering over her and feeling heavy.

"I want to make sure my friends are happy. I want to make sure my friends are safe and most importantly, I want to make sure my FRIENDS can enjoy themselves while they race. That's why we've all gotten together to rework the system, find ways to improve our own move-set and even give the players more chances to change things around. And guess what, Von Schweetz?"

"Y-Yeah, Muttonfudge?"

That devious smile returned to Taffyta's face, a little chuckle coming from her throat.

"They like it…." She cooed "We've never had better business and more than that, we don't have players moaning and groaning when you glitch your way through everything."

Taffyta was not letting things up; after the way she had been humiliated when Vanellope returned, she was dead-set on telling the girl how things had gone on in the game without her, how the players had returned-

"And they don't ask for you either."

How they had gone on without her.

"An' ya know something, Von Schweetz? Being Prez is a fun job!" Taffyta tittered as she sat back in her chair, putting her feet on the desk "Yeah, it's not Princess or anything but I like it. An' I like the idea that I hafta FIGHT my way for it if I want another term."

"Another term?"

"Yeah." The girl nodded "I'm not just going to hog the seat like SOMEONE I know. EVERYONE in Sugar Rush gets their chance at a run. Too bad we didn't when you were in charge but I guess we weren't special enough right? We weren't like Miss Vanellope Von Schweetz."

The girl couldn't take this, not at all expecting Taffyta to lounge about with her in such a manner. EVERYTHING she had expected had blown up in her face, the girl uncertain how to take things.

"Why did you come here first?"

"Huh?"

"Was it because things were changed for someone else for once? Because things didn't reflect you EVERYWHERE?"

"You're one to talk! You're the one with your face plastered-!"

"EVERYONE'S banner is up." Taffyta corrected "Sure, mine are larger since I'm President this term but did you notice that everyone's banner was up? I did that so players would know who was who in this game. Your colors were plastered EVERYWHER when you returned, it didn't show anyone else."

Vanellope glanced out the window once more, seeing that Taffyta was indeed correct and then she thought back, thought back to those days when Turbo had been in charge. HE had put his face, his symbol everywhere in a way that had overshadowed the other racers.

And when Vanellope got back?

She had done much of the same.

"Don't even try lying to me now, Von Schweetz. I know why you came back." Taffyta hissed.

Vanellope did not reply, the two girls staring each other down.

"You WANTED us to be miserable without you." The strawberry PRESIDENT said "You came back here hoping to find us in a tizzy without you, as some sort of satisfaction that without you, nothing can be done but seeing you now? Seeing that look, things didn't work out the way you wanted, huh?"

"I-I just came for a visit, that's all!"

"If you did, you would have gone to the others first, to see them, to ask them how they were doing but you had to sneak your way in here because I know you didn't expect this. You never EXPECTED anything from us, Vanellope. Because you've always looked down on us."

"I-I never-!"

"If you didn't, you wouldn't have called Sugar Rush boring. If you didn't you would have actually done more to include us in your plans to make things better. If you did, you would have spent the last seven years trying to get to know us. WE did. You made it seem like we were OBLIGATED to know everything about you but you don't know a single thing about us, because you don't care. You NEVER cared."

Vanellope looked around, feeling as if everything were closing in around her.

She had gotten her.

Where she stood, Taffyta had gotten her and she hadn't won her over through the means of a race. Taffyta had won by doing everything that Vanellope had promised but actually took the time in doing. It was becoming more and more apparent that Taffyta had changed, that she had done more with the racers than Vanellope had every done. The tracks were new, the karts were, new, the outfits were new and they were new for EVERYONE, not just her.

The realization began to hit Vanellope like a ton of bricks; the solution had always been there in front of her but she had never taken the wheel to it. She had never used any of her chances to make Sugar Rush more exciting because she HAD thought the racers were below her expectation, that she didn't have to share her wonders and dreams with them, that they had none of their own.

And with the way that Sugar Rush was looking.

The racers had dreams.

The racers had desires.

And with Vanellope gone, they had FINALLY gotten a chance to do it.

And with Taffyta of all people leading the way.

"Are you tired?"

Vanellope turned around, Taffyta calm at her desk.

"I can get you a sweet suite. Guest of honor if you want it."

"No thanks…." Vanellope growled, faking a smile as she turned towards the door of the Ovaltine Office "I can see ya an' tha others are busy here. I wouldn't wann get in tha way an' sides…"

Taffyta arched a brow, awaiting the excuse.

"I need ta get back to Slaughter Race anyway. They're waiting for me."

Taffyta grinned, hearing the fault in Vanellope's voice; she knew she was lying. She knew she was breaking up.

"Come back anytime you'd like." Taffyta said, her voice sweet but the poison in it was apparent "Maybe things won't be so BORING next time."

Vanellope felt like ripping the door off the hinges but she couldn't let her rage get the best of her, she couldn't let Taffyta win.

She was going to prove her wrong.

She was going to prove Litwak's wrong.

She could make it back in Slaughter Race!

The visit had been short but she knew it was time to go. She said her goodbyes to Felix, to Calhoun and to Ralph and prepared to make her back online but before she did-

One question….

"Felix?"

The repairman looked down, Vanellope taking his hand and glitching out of the view of Ralph and Calhoun.

"What is it, kid?"

"Why does Ralph look so tired?" Vanellope asked "No one's messing with him, right? The Nicelanders aren't being mean to him?"

"Why would ya think that?" the repairman said "In fact, the two have been gettin' along just great! I've never seen 'em so close an' relaxed."

Gene was being proven right again.

Without Vanellope in the middle, some connections could be made.

"Kid, listen…." Felix said with a sigh "He's…he's just worried."

"Worried?"

"Yeah." The man nodded "He knows that you're only a connection away but…but he's been fightin' with himself for a while. An' I think he's just lonely."

Vanellope once again felt her heart starting to race.

 _We can be friends Ralph, but just not every day._

Suddenly the meaning of what she said was starting to come to her; we can be friends but not every day? Even when the two were just a few games away she never said anything like that, she never would have thought of saying something like that! It made no sense, to tell Ralph that his friendship only mattered on certain situations.

Had she been told the same thing?

She knew she would have been heart-broken.

But what else was bothering him?

"He tried ta tell us more 'bout what happened when ya guys went online but…." Felix rubbed the back of his neck "I can only understand it as well as he told me but he said somethin' 'bout not wantin' ta be toxic or somethin' anymore."

Toxic.

Ralph had been called toxic when he was faced with Vanellope leaving the game.

When she didn't tell him her plans and simple expected him to go along with it.

"He's been goin' on 'bout not bein' like that anymore but…but it kinda feels like he's holdin' himself back. That he doesn't wanna try anythin' anymore because he doesn't wanna be toxic."

No.

No, Ralph.

Don't do that.

He was holding back, only because he was now scared that anything he did would be considered that term; TOXIC. He was always watching himself, always walking on eggshells, always holding himself so low, all because he didn't want to be TOXIC anymore but as Vanellope thought back, thought back to her own actions, how everyone had received her when she came back…

It was if something toxic had been removed….and it was her.

She suddenly realized why Litwak was so odd to her now and that was because the residence no longer had to be on edge around her. In those seven years she had come back, she had run of the arcade and that was because she had thrust herself upon the other citizens as if she ruled passed her own game, that they HAD to treat her differently, that they had to ACT differently.

That in order to be HERSELF, everyone else had to push back what made them THEMSELVES.

And that was what Ralph was now doing.

He had gone to a state that was even worse than his misery of being just a bad guy. Now he was in a state where he held a deep fear that if he went out of line once, it was wrong. He could no longer express himself freely but he forced the smile, he forced his happiness when he saw Vanellope, his closest friend but he was exhausted, he was tired.

He was miserable.

And she had made him miserable.

He was making himself MISERABLE.

Just so she could have fun.

Vanellope took on more look at Ralph as he chatted with Calhoun, seeing the paleness of his skin, his slumped over posture and the bags under his eyes.

This wasn't the Ralph she knew.

This wasn't the hero she knew.

This was the Ralph who was now scared of being TOXIC.

This was a Ralph removed of everything that he loved about being himself.

This was a Ralph without a friend.

And he was without friends because SHE had left him.

She couldn't face it. She didn't know what to do. She was SCARED.

Vanellope took one more look at Felix, knowing that he was doing his best as well but could not do everything, only adding to the fact of how much she had taken advantage of everyone in the arcade, everyone who had helped her and everyone who had promised to be her friend.

This was the reason why Litwak's didn't celebrate her return.

Litwak's didn't WANT her to return.

And the more Vanellope thought, she wouldn't have wanted someone like herself to return either…

But things only got worse from there….

When she got back, things had changed once more. It was just so quick, so short, but when she found out….

 _Dear Players,_

 _We have heard your comments and gotten information on the little issue with the game and the new 'player' that has shown up. We want to assure you that we want to give you the best playing experience for your money and we have looked into the issue and discovered it to be some wayward bit of coding not originally made for the game. We can only guess someone may have hacked into the game to place this character in but given the response and how players have had trouble, we have gone through and deleted the code as well as put in new precautions to prevent any sort of deep moding such as this from happening again. If you find anything else, please let us know._

 _Slaughter Race Dev Team_

Gone.

In a blink of an eye.

It was gone.

The devs had fixed the issue, the issue being Vanellope herself.

She could no longer get in, no matter who got in, how matter who she called, no one could get her back in.

She was once again locked out of the races.

Shank and the others tried to comfort her but once more, Vanellope felt the hollowness of their words. The bathed her in praise, telling her that things would be alright but things weren't alright. She was once again without a game, without a real home and just another wayward glitch on the internet.

But what about Litwak's?

She could do back, right?

She could.

But she was embarrassed.

She was ashamed.

She had burnt so many bridges, lost the faith and trust of so many others. She could not go back to Sugar Rush, the people within it remembering how she disregarded them and to return defeated, she knew the others would have a field day. She was now scared to return to Fix-it-Felix Jr. as well, knowing she no longer held the same power as she had years previously, finding that the occupants had gained their own confidence by seeing new things online.

She was in disgrace.

She had nothing.

Not even Ralph.

She had hurt Ralph, she had misused his trust, misused his powers, and misused him all out. Seeing his drained face, she couldn't do it. He was a zombie of his former self all thanks to how he had been treated online, how she had ignored his concerns for her own gain. And for what?

To make everyone accept that she was correct for 'Going Turbo'.

She suddenly realized what that term meant, what it brought about.

In Going Turbo, Vanellope had abandoned her game.

In Going Turbo, she had forced another to go through an unbreakable change.

In Going Turbo she had lost the connection she had with anyone in Litwak's.

In Going Turbo…..

She had BECOME Turbo.

And as she walked the cold streets of the internet alone, hoping to escape from words that no longer meant anything…

She realized just how lonely she had become, all to her doing.


End file.
